Spiraling Down
by Rose Garden Twilight
Summary: "That's your problem Hawk Moth," disappointment dripped from Le Paon's voice as her fingers barely touched the tip of her plumage in her hand. "You're thinking too…short term. To crush Ladybug, you must attack her heart, mind and her very soul." -When Le Paon takes charge, Chat Noir and Master Fu have to act quickly before Marinette's life sinks into a tailspin.
1. Chapter 1

**A.n.- I can't say how excited I am to write this story. It literally hit me out of nowhere and within two hours this chapter was written. I have a feeling I will love Le Paon in the series ( which we will get her in season two) For those of you who haven't researched her all we know is she will be an ally to Hawk Moth and compared to her HM will look like a nice villain. I wouldn't necessary suggest reading this if you haven't gotten caught up with season two, as I'll probably include some spoilers some places. I have no idea what Le Paon will be like in the series or what her powers will be ( I'm assuming my version of her will be darker than what the show's creators are going for considering it's intended audience) so I'm basing her character off guesses off theories I have read. The only thing about her that's cannon that I'll be using is her Kwami's name, ally to HM, and she's a darker villain ( all of which have been confirmed).**

* * *

 **Prologue:**

"You may have defeated me this time Ladybug and Chat Noir," his gloved hands gripped tightly in a clenched fist. The butterflies swirling above him in the air feeding off the energy in the room, "But the day will come where I will rise up and it will be you that is in for a surprise when I capture your Miraculouses. I will destroy you." It wasn't fair, he had gotten so close to winning and the second that Ladybug used her Lucky Charm he could feel everything starting to slip away with no ability to stop it. The power that he held over his victims seemed to be deteriorating with every use. But this wouldn't deter him from his mission, he would have Chat's ring and Ladybug's earrings and hold ultimate power within his grasp. It was the only way that he would see his love again.

"You could try boring them to death with your plans, maybe they would surrender just to stop you from talking." The words made the villain freeze on the spot, he didn't recognize the voice and yet someone had made it past his security into his haven. He turned to see a woman clothed in a royal blue dress draped across the one chair that occupied the room. The slit in the fabric inched higher with the position she was sitting in, but she didn't seem to mind. There was a dark blue color that seemed to cover the mysterious purple eyes that now glared at him. On top of her head rested a hat, dark blue and pink in color paired with a small veil masking part of her face. Although impressed of the design itself, Gabriel had more pressing matters.

"How did you get in here?" If it was one thing that he prided himself on was the length of security built into this place, he was sure that no one was sitting in the chair when he entered the room. That meant that she had to slip in when he was distracted with his fight with the heroes.

"Or maybe they would just use the time it took for you to explain everything to defeat you." She pondered out loud pressing her finger to the purple hue of her cheek ignoring his question. His rage grew, it wasn't enough that some woman was able to sneak into his lair, but to disrespect him was another matter; he didn't even accept that from his family, let alone a stranger.

"I won't ask again, how did you get in here?" Each word was pointed like it was daggers rolling off his tongue. Instead she just flipped through the book resting on her lap reading its contents. She was ignoring his questions on purpose trying to get under his skin, and it was working.

"You don't know who you are dealing with," He growled letting his rage stew. Didn't she know that he could call forth a person with an akuma to destroy her, or if it came to it he would be able to defeat her in a fight.

"I know exactly who you are." She answered not once looking up from the book, he caught sight of the superheroes printed on the page. That was the breaking point, she had been in his safe in his home. This was now personal. If she had laid one finger on Adrien's head, he swore she would die the most painful death that was possible.

"I've had enough of this, Code red." The walls suddenly burst open with various weapons pointing directly at her, but she didn't even flinch. He gritted his teeth, how someone from the outside was able to find his lair was beyond his comprehension, but after he took care of the pest, it would not be a mistake that would be repeated. The raven-haired woman got up from the chair that she was lounging in and began to walk towards him despite the fire power that could instantly kill her.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't end you right now." The low growl escaped his lips hands fully clenched, either she hadn't realized that her life laid in his hands or she dared to deny the fact; either way she leaned in her mouth hovering right outside his ear.

"Because I can give you what you desire." The words caused his body to freeze, a chill shot down his spine.

"How could you possibly know what I desired?" He scoffed. It was a game between the two, the one who held up their appearance would be the winner, a silent battle for dominance. The urge to shoot her dead decreased as his curiosity grew with every word that left her lips.

"To bring back your wife," a dark chuckle escaped her throat "it's such a noble pursuit, but you have no idea what those two miraculous are truly capable of." She returned to the bookshelves that lined the wall running her fingers against the spines nonchalantly.

"Who are you?" He demanded slamming his cane on the floor gaining her attention. The Cheshire grin grew as the purple eyes looked up innocently, he was rattled which only meant she gained the upper hand.

"You can call me Le Paon, but the question you should really be asking; what can I do for you?" A deafening silence rang through the room, so she took the opportunity to continue. "Are you tired of losing, doing the same thing every time only to be defeated?"

"What do you have in mind?" She shook her head clicking her tongue.

"Put away your _toys_ ," the emphasis on the last word didn't go unnoticed making him grit his teeth. "And we can sit down and have a talk." She draped herself once more in the chair that was at her disposal.

When the security system clicked back into place, her smirk spread. He towered over her figure, but it didn't daunt her, she seemed unfazed or even unimpressed by the man that stood before her.

"I've been watching you for a long time." A single feather was released from her fan that was resting on the table next to her, her fingers began running around the edge. "After a couple years of your constant failure I decided to offer my services." How could he not have felt a presence of another miraculous user, especially if she was keeping an eye on him.

"What's in it for you? No one does anything for free." The women kicked her legs off the arms of the chair and stood, her eyes never wavering from his.

"Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, I do have a tiny request, when the time comes I'll collect." She didn't say another word on the matter of how he would be indebted, causing hesitation. What did he even know about her, besides that she could sneak her way into his highly fortified fortress?

"What makes you so confident that you will defeat Ladybug in battle?" He crossed his arms defensively against his chest; anyone could talk visions of grandeur, but to accomplish such a task she needed to have a plan and so far, she hadn't suggested of having anything of the sort.

"That's your problem Hawk Moth," disappointment dripping from her voice as her fingers barely touched the tip of her plumage in her hand causing it to blacken. "You are thinking too…short term," her smile crept up further. "To crush the pesky bug, you must attack her heart, mind and her very soul. She will succumb to the darkness, just you wait." What she was offering seemed too good to be true, turning the light dark, surely not with the presence of a guardian and her partner in her life.

"What about Chat Noir? How do you propose we deal with him?" In all the battles that were fought, Chat had grown to be just as much of a problem as Ladybug with the way they communicated and worked together. Besides to grant him the wish he would need both miraculous.

"By the time the silly kitten realizes what's happening it will be too late. Once we take out Ladybug he will crumble to his own darkness."

"And how do you propose that this is accomplished?" She hadn't given him any detail to her plan, but the idea that he could take down the thorns that had been in his sides for the longest time was tempting. If he was unaware that Le Paon resided in Paris, it was safe to guess that the superhero duo was in the dark same as him.

"Just...leave that to me, by the time I'm done with her, Ladybug will be begging to give her miraculous to us."

"How do I know that you won't take the two miraculous, only to grant the wish for yourself?" He wasn't going to sweep the topic under the rug, it wasn't the first time that his victims thought they could take the ultimate power from him.

"You don't, but you can't win without me," the air around them was chilled by the tone of her voice, "I guess we'll just have to trust each other, now won't we?" She held out a hand her eyes glowing from the fire that raged inside her. "Do we have a deal?"

"On one condition, at no point harm will come to my son, I don't want him involved in this." Maybe it was the guilt that lived in the shadows within him, but he still loved the boy to some fatherly extent.

"Agreed."

The second he reached out and the two hands connected a colored energy burst from both their miraculous wrapping around their arms before joining right above the handshake. Hawk Moth's mouth fell slightly, he had never experienced or read anything about this kind of thing happening before.

"What's happening?" The purple and blue light disappeared as quickly as it came, and he started wondering if he had just imagined it all.

"Our agreement is now bonded, now if we both keep up our end of the arrangement then everything will be fine. I trust you, think of it as a safe guard." She brushed her hand over the peacock broach resting at her neck. Gabriel was almost worried to ask what would happen if it was broken, but instead he kept his mouth shut.

"What now?"

"Just go and release one of your precious butterflies, I'll take care of the rest." It seemed easy enough, he could already feel the dark energy of someone's anger rising through him. When the akuma had fluttered away through the window he turned back to where Le Paon was standing, she was gone. In return a single feather was left on the chair. He ignored the lurch of uneasiness in his stomach as he detransformed; why did it feel like he just made a deal with the Devil himself?

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 **A.n.- So it begins. This story will probably be darker, but we'll see how it goes. So my updates will probably be once every week ( or two weeks at the latest) simply because I'm trying to write original story to be published and well that comes first. But I will do my best to update on time. Favorite or Follow the story to gain reviews, favorite or follow me if you like my writing, and review and give me feedback. I love talking to my readers and giving spoilers and hints to them, but I got to know who you are first. Until next time.**

 **-RGT-**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.n.- Two chapters in one week? What are the chances of that? This would have been updated yesterday but the site physically didn't let me. So this was a super fun chapter to write, I'm a sucker for Adrienette (I'm a sucker for all of them, they are my children after all). But I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Marinette!" Maybe she was dreaming, it was a long day after the battle earlier. She was the one usually chasing the Adrien down, not the other way around. When she heard her name being called again, she stopped instantly recognizing that it was in fact the blonde model running after her.

"Hey, so I wanted to know if you were up for studying together this afternoon for the test Friday, I didn't really get the material that we went over today." If he told the truth, he missed half the day fighting crime, but in order for his Father not to ground him until he was of age, he had to keep his grades as high as possible. Sometimes being a superhero had its setbacks. He watched her face twitch slightly and he grew uneasy, did she not want to hang out with him? They were just going to study.  
"What about Nino? Did you ask him?" He tried to hide the disappointed features of his face. Had he done something wrong? He knew that she didn't hate him, but she seemed to clam up when he was around or tried to shove him off to a different friend.  
"He's"- Adrien stopped himself, technically his best friend sworn him to secrecy, but surely by now the plan was already in motion.  
"He wanted to surprise Alya for their anniversary, he had a special day planned." He would study a different day, but his schedule was filling up quickly with his Father's demands.  
Marinette let out a snicker, despite the look she received she didn't have the heart to tell him that their anniversary wasn't till next month. Her best friend would still appreciate the early gesture.

"So," He took a step closer to her invading the edge of her bubble. "What do you say?" He didn't remember the last time they had hung out alone, he wanted to reassure her that he still thought they were friends.

"Yes!" Although it was the answer he wanted to hear, he still heard the reluctance in her voice.

"Are you sure?" He never wanted to force her into anything she wasn't comfortable in. With still not being sure where he stood with her, he wanted to tread lightly and give her an out if she wanted it.

"It's no trouble at all!" She waved her hands trying to regain control over the situation, preferably without making more of a fool of herself. The subjects to cover for the test were easy enough, she was fairly confident in her ability to explain it. However, since she spent the afternoon stopping Hawk Moth she had no idea what they covered in class, she was intending on asking Alya for her notes. But she wasn't about to tell him that. His hand flew to the back of his neck rubbing it in a nervous fashion.  
"Do you want to walk, or we could ride there in the car..." His voice trailed off waiting on her cue. Marinette was trying to stay calm, but she was sure she resembled a fish gasping for water.  
"C-car would be good." She still kicked herself for turning him down during operation Secret Garden. He flashed one of his dazzling smiles and gave her a wink.  
"Alright, I'll call Gorilla and tell him the change in plans." The raven-haired girl swore that she had no feelings in her legs as he walked away placing the cell phone against his ear. Surprisingly, their interaction went well, but unfortunately for her; she had hours ahead to get tongue tied. Adrien flashed her a thumbs-up which she returned weakly. What did she get herself into?

* * *

Marinette didn't feel one thread of guilt abandoning Adrien at the mercy of her parents' downstairs, she was counting on the distraction to take down all the pictures of the blonde that were scattered across her walls with Tikki's help. It wasn't every day that the super model came to her room, she formulated the excuse that it was Agreste fashion line that she was interested in. After all his Father had used his son for enough of the photo shoots. But she knew herself well enough to know that her calculated words would just leave her lips and end up a jumbled pile on the floor, when it came to him; she would always be a mess. It was nice to live in a day dream when he wasn't around, but if he ever found the pictures she didn't know how that would change their friendship. Tikki stopped that thought train before it crashed and burned in her mind. She had to stop always assuming the worst, Adrien was one of the kindest people she knew; he wouldn't break their friendship off for something so silly.

Tikki quickly fled the second the hatch moved. "Hey, sorry about that. Your parents were wanting my opinion on a couple different pastries."

"I'm sorry they tortured you like that," the dry line cracking a smile on both faces. She eyed the plate of chocolate croissants in his hand as he climbed fully into her room and he let out a sheepish smile and mumbled something about needing energy for studying. She dropped the subject her mind already worried about how she would be able to tutor him in something that she wasn't there to learn in class, but it couldn't be that hard right?

"I feel my brain melting," Adrien groaned dropping the closed text book to the side. They had been going over the study material for an hour and a half and it was discouraging to know that he knew less now than when he started. He started to regret daydreaming of his favorite superhero in class, maybe if he was paying more attention he wouldn't be in trouble now.

"Maybe we should take a break," Marinette agreed. It was better to take little breaks between sessions, but she would be fine with not touching her textbook for the rest of the day. She would have to ask Alya to explain the lesson tomorrow before school otherwise it might affect her test score as well.

It didn't take a minute for the blonde to reach for the croissant his eyes sparkling, he quit halfway to consumption eyeing his friend. "Don't tell my Father." As much as it was part of a joke he was also halfway serious. His Dad would just give him a stern look and then lecture him to preserve his career, and that would require staying as far away from the carbs as possible.

Marinette's laugh filled the room while she crossed her hand above her chest. "I'll take it to the grave."

"I bet that Nino and Alya are out having fun." His textbook was currently tied with his disdain for Hawk Moth, and that was saying something.

"Unless she left him to try and catch a glimpse of Paris's favorite Superhero duo." Marinette used her hands to emphasize their title almost like a movie. She wouldn't put it past her best friend. If Nino was second to someone, it would be her alter ego.

Adrien readjusted his gaze, he didn't mean to stare at her, he just got caught up in another daydream. "There's only one way to find out," he stood up and quickly covered the short distance to her computer before Mari had a chance to protest. He wiggled the mouse pulling the computer out of hibernation. His mouth dropped for a second at the sight of the screen before his whole face lit up.

"I didn't know you followed the Ladyblog."

As soon as the statement left him he wanted to face palm himself. Of course she kept an eye on it, it was Alya's blog. Part of him was hoping that Mari would monitor it as closely as he did. With her help he was sure that he could figure out Ladybug's identity, and by doing so would also re-secure the bond that they had as friends.

"I keep tabs on it," her words drew him back to her. It was the easiest way to see how close her best friend was to finding her out, and the comments she saw on the blog only confirmed that the people of Paris were thankful for them.

"Have you worked with Chat Noir recently?" Every now and then he would name slip around people, just to make sure he knew where they stood with his secret identity. He watched the girl in front of him tense.

"Um yeah, he winds up on my rooftop sometimes," she tried to reply as nonchalantly as possible; maybe he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. She watched as one eyebrow rose, urging her to share more.

"There was this one time, he came to me after he set up something for Ladybug," she hesitated. Mari didn't know if any of this was confidential, but she felt oddly relaxed telling him. "She didn't show up and he saw that I was upset so he wanted to cheer me up."

Adrien knew there was more to the story, because he lived it. But he did fine it interesting that she didn't bring up the guy that broke her heart. He didn't know who he was, but when he figured it out he would get a piece of his mind. The subject was dropped for the moment with full intent to gain more information using Chat, she seemed to be more open to him.

It wasn't until then that he noticed all the drawings scattered across the desk. He picked up one only to see the paper that was hidden underneath.

"You're applying for my Father's internship?" He wasn't fully knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of the program, but it was a summer term in which a student would work under him and supposedly learn the business. If he liked their designs enough, he would put it in the line-up for the next fashion show.

Marinette shyly nodded, she had hoped that it could have been a surprise, if she won that meant that she could spend a significant amount of time with him, but if she didn't then he wouldn't get his hopes up.

"You know, I can talk to my"-

"No!" she blurted out a little too quickly. She was sure that Mr. Agreste already had some preconceived notions about her, the last thing she wanted was for him to think that she used his son to get to him. "I mean, no thank you. I want to earn it."

"Well if it means anything, I hope you win." Her cheeks grew to a shade of red that would match her Ladybug outfit, she needed to think of something, and fast.

"Want to play some video games?" She hoped that the change of subject would distract the boy in front of her, and it worked like a charm; he was a kid in a candy store. She needed a distraction anyway, between the pressure of the upcoming tests and the stress for perfecting her application for the internship she was already dealing with some anxiety. She almost wished that being a super hero was a full-time job.

He nodded eagerly despite knowing that he should be studying, but what could a couple games hurt? If he was to learn anymore today; he would have to participate in something mindless for a bit.

"The controllers are in the drawer on the left," she called out only to realize that she saw Tikki that way earlier with a small pile of her Adrien pictures.

"What's this?" She never knew her legs could move so fast, she ripped what pictures he did have in his hand threw them in their proper place.

"Nothing," she slammed the drawer with her hip hoping that he wouldn't press the matter more. She would need to have a talk with Tikki after he left about where the safe spots to hide the pictures were. She watched the conflict being torn across his face, she needed to act quickly.

As confidently as she could muster, she held out the controller to the Blonde, "Ready to get killed at Mega Strike 3 Agreste?" For some reason it was easier calling him by his last name in her taunts, it made the dialogue less personal and she was less likely to stutter.

"I'm not scared of you Marinette." His own eyes narrowed taking it straight from her hand. Unbeknownst to her, he had spent time practicing waiting for the time that they would get a rematch; this time she would be in for a surprise.

Her smirk grew as she sat down in the chair backwards facing him, "You should be." The topic of video games was one of the few that she had a leg up on the model, it gave her confidence, not to mention the couple of times she caught him gawking at her almost made her feel as invincible as Ladybug.

"Game on," he shot back. The air of friendly competition had engulfed the two, as he took his seat next to her. She reached for the remote and clicked on the television. Her hand froze before she could set up the game completely captured by the news that was scrolling across the screen. Not now, didn't Hawk Moth have a life outside of trying to terrorize Paris? She glanced over at Adrien but couldn't read his expression. Was it wrong that she was disappointed?

"You should go home where you'll be safe." The words stuck to her throat, she couldn't even bring herself to glance back at him and glared at the floor. If she didn't have to transform into Ladybug and go fight the akuma then he could have used her room to hide, but something told her that he wouldn't allow her to run out straight into danger, not as Marinette. He was too much of a gentleman for that. For a brief second, she entertained the thought of letting Chat take the lead and she would show up later, but the guilt sunk in, she couldn't be that selfish; he needed her. This was just part of the consequences that came with being a super hero and having to keep her identity a secret. A small part of her wished she would have known the weight of what she was agreeing to before, keeping this secret was tiring and she was running out of excuses.

"I'll take the back-way home, rain check on the match?" he asked trying to stay optimistic, however; the light mood had faded out of the room only to be reclaimed by a somber one. Although he was having fun with Mari, he knew that his Lady needed him, especially since this was the second attack of the day. "I'll be safe," he added for extra measure sensing her concern; although she would need it more than he would. He was a superhero after all. "I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will save the day as usual," In a blink of an eye he slipped out of her room.

Marinette let her fake reassuring smile falter, although grateful that he didn't put up much of a fight making her job easier, she did worry for him. What if something attacked and she wasn't around to save him?

"What's wrong Marinette?" Tikki buzzed out of her hiding spot, she knew that if her holder wasn't in the right mindset it would throw her off in battle, but they were still on a time crunch.

"We were having a great time," she let out a tired sigh. "Then the akuma ruined everything."

"But Adrien did say he would come over another time." Tikki thought that Marinette did well for her interaction with the boy, so why was she getting so upset?

"It's just sometimes," she paused for a moment, she already knew how her kwami felt about this subject but that didn't detract from her moments of weakness. "I wish I could tell him, things would be so much easier"-

"Marinette, you know you can't." Tikki didn't mean to be short with her, but she needed to snap her out of whatever funk she was in. Her words seem to work as the raven-haired girl's eyes narrowed.

"You're right, Paris needs me. Tikki, spots on." The red kwami obliged melding into the earrings as the red light engulfed her leaving only her super hero alter ego. She rushed to the roof, the smoke from some of the damage was rising pinpointing her destination. A smirk grew on her lips, Adrien was right about one thing, Alya would have put her date with Nino on hold if she heard about the attack. She jumped off her roof headed west, not looking behind her. If she had, she might have seen a green light flicker ever so slightly coming from the alleyway next to the Dupain-Cheng's bakery.

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 **A.N.- Ah, young love. It would be easier if they knew, but then that wouldn't be much of a story now would it? The story moves completely forward from here, just wanted to give a glimpse of part of the time lapse from from Le Paon and Hawk Moth were talking. (Plus although I actually like writing the angst, it needs some fluff. I'll probably be able to update at least once over the next week and from there we'll see. Favorite, Follow, review with feedback? I'm mostly writing this story because it fascinates me, but I wouldn't mind the company as the story unfolds.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.n.- Back with another chapter! I was going wait till Saturday to post but depending I might be able to whip out another chapter by then so you don't have to wait as long. Thank you for the favorites and follows, and review. Hoping I still have your attention, if I don't this chapter will.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

"Pound it!" The two partners fist bumped to a job well done. It must have been a record for saving Paris, she didn't want to puff herself up too much but either Hawk Moth was growing weaker or they were growing stronger. It would only a matter of time before they would find their arch nemesis and retrieve his miraculous...but then what? She glanced at Chat out of the corner of her eye, even though he had his moments of annoyance, with the black cat he was first and foremost her partner and friend. She couldn't even imagine what going a week without hearing his ridiculous puns, how would she cope with the changes?

"Ladybug?" His voice wavered with concern shifting his weight to perch on the rooftop. "Are you feline okay?" Usually when something was bugging her they would talk about it, unless it dealt with her personal life. He had received a lecture last week when he had tried to go the roundabout way of acquiring information to give him hints to who she was, but that didn't diminish his desire to reveal their identities. It was so conflicting, he was in love with the woman in front of him without knowing what her real name was, what her family was like, or any unique characteristics that her civilian form had. He knew that he would be able to protect her against everything and anything if they told each other the truth, but that would take courage from both of them.

"I'm fine Kitty." She attempted to smile, but he instantly recognized it as one of her fake ones when she was uncomfortable. Why was she lying to him? His ring beeped showing only four paw prints left, but the sound didn't faze him.

"Come on Princess, you can tell me," he tried coaxing her out of whatever hole she had retreated in. Their eyes connected giving Chat more confidence that he was making headway.

"But your ring-" He stopped her gently pressing his finger over her lips hushing any more anxiety.

"I have time," he retorted, he wouldn't let her push him away that easily. He watched as her face reflected her interior walls crumbling. Her mouth pursed in contemplation, but before any words on the subject left her tongue her eyes suddenly grew wide.

"Chat watch out!" She jumped grabbing and pushing him out of the way as an arrow-like object went whizzing above their bodies. The object in question upon further inspection looked like, a feather?

When they turned back in the direction of the arrow they witnessed a woman standing on a nearby rooftop. She was clothed in a royal blue dress with a peacock feather fan in hand.

"How is Hawk Moth akumatizing all these people?" His ring flashed to three paws, they didn't have a lot of time.

"I don't think that's what this is," Ladybug countered. She couldn't describe it, there was just a feeling that was overwhelming her senses, it was telling her to run. She had never fled from a fight before, and despite her gut, today wouldn't be the day either. Chat's emerald eyes locked with hers, and no words were needed; they didn't have much time before they turned back so they needed to react, and quickly.

"Who are you?" Ladybug shouted with as much confidence as she could muster. It was hard to focus while her was counting down the minutes till she was forced back to her civilian form.

She was answered with the figure jumping down to meet them on their rooftop, "I'm Le Paon, nice to officially meet the famous Ladybug and Chat Noir." She offered a smile, when her handshake went ungreeted she retracted, but still stood tall.

"Kind of cutting it close with the dagger, weren't you?" Chat crossed his arms across his chest still miffed that his conversation with his lady was interrupted. He jumped slightly as her fingers traced the edges of his face.

"If I wanted to kill you Kitty, trust me. I wouldn't have missed." Her finger flicked his bell, he was used to being the flirty one, not on the receiving end.

"No offense, but aren't you a little late to the party?" His partner's annoyed voice cut through the air.

"I just moved here, I saw the news and figured that I could help. It took a while to find you two." The tension diminished with every question she had an explanation for. But instead of paying attention to her answers, Chat's eyes wandered down to the peacock broach that was resting at the level of her neck. He had sworn that he had seen it before, he just couldn't put his finger on it; he was sure that it would come to him eventually.

"And what caused your move?" Marinette didn't know why she couldn't let the matter just fade, Master Fu had said the peacock miraculous had been lost, what were the chances that it just showed up on a silver platter. For all she knew Le Paon was the one to steal it in the first place.

"I was following a lead on the whereabouts of Hawk Moth." The answer got the superhero duo's attention, but they were disrupted but another beep coming from their Miraculouses.

"I would give you more information, but it looks like you two are just out of time. Maybe I could tell you everything another time, maybe at your patrol?" Ladybug glanced down at Chat's ring that only had the base of the paw left and bit her lip. He would follow her lead regardless of her decision. She wasn't sure they could completely trust her, it would be something that was earned.

"Chaton, you go on ahead, I'll fill her in on the where to meet for patrol." She didn't have to tell him twice, with a quick nod, he started to leap over the rooftops heading back east.

Marinette knew that it wouldn't be long before she herself had to leave, a couple minutes at the most, but that would be plenty of time to relay the start point of Patrol and warn her about Chat's tendency to overuse puns. If she had the information that she claimed to have, it would be a major step for catching Hawk Moth.

If only she turned a moment sooner, then maybe things would have been different. Suddenly she was grabbed and there was a sharp pain coming from the base of her neck. She couldn't move, her body was frozen.

"Didn't you ever learn to be mindful of your surroundings?" Ladybug's legs gave way her body collapsing to the ground as if all the life was sucked out of her. "Don't try and shout, no one can hear you up here." Le Paon's hand reached out and brushed the earrings that beeped once more.

"Don't worry, I don't need to take your miraculous to defeat you, not yet. By the time I'm done with you you'll be begging me to take them." Marinette let out a painful cry trying to struggle against the shutdown of her body.

"What did you do to me?" She gritted her teeth trying to ignore the agony coursing through her veins. It didn't sit well that she could go out like this. Once Le Paon found out who she was, there was all sorts of things that she could use against her.

"Nothing that you'll remember." Le Paon ran one of her feathers teasing along her edges of her face like she had with Chat earlier, but the red clad superhero turned her head as far away as possible.

"You won't get away with this, Chat will find you." The statement caused a laugh to pass through the villainess's lips. The superhero had lasted longer than most, and for that she was slightly impressed. She loved a challenge, it fueled her; she would enjoy watching the girl's life unwind.

"I think you'll find your partner will have more than he'll be able to handle all on his own." Black. The darkness was starting to creep into her vision, her body was shutting down, she helplessly watched as the older woman smirked at her job well done before leaping back to her original rooftop. Her mind wanted nothing more to chase after her, but physically it wasn't an option, so instead Marinette found as she descended into darkness that she waged war with her own mind a battle that she could not win no matter how much she tried.

* * *

By the time that Adrien arrived home, all he wanted was to flop down on his bed and sleep before he had patrol that night. Two battles in one day was exhausting, and he if didn't take it easy Plagg would give him grief. He had silenced any complaining with a couple of containers of Camembert that his kwami was currently stuffing his face with. Things would be easier now with the new addition to the team, from the little that he knew about Le Paon, he was excited to have her. With the information that she had on Hawk Moth it could put them in a position of offense for the first time, once they captured him things would slow down, but he could hardly foresee a time where the citizens of Paris would not need them anymore. Maybe then Ladybug would be ready to reveal who she was to him. There wouldn't be a reason to hide any secrets from each other, just the idea excited him especially since he had waited for that moment for so many years.

Without any warning, a sudden pain shot through his entire body, he couldn't tell where it started or ended. His vision was filled with black spots exploding and all his senses heightened, including his ability to feel pain. He screamed into the sheets as it intensified. He was sure that he was going to pass out, but his body was denying him that pleasure.

"What's wrong kid?" The unusual behavior grabbed his Kwami's attention immediately, unfortunately his chosen didn't have an answer for him.

"I don't know, it just came over me." His insides felt like they were being shredded apart, although it being an impossibility. Besides all the pain, he noticed that there was this green glow with his ring. He let out another small scream and then everything just stopped. No pain. He almost thought that he imagined it, but the ghost of the feeling lingered reminding him it was not.

"What was that Plagg, and why was my ring glowing?" He needed answers from the only one who could provide them.

"I have a hunch kid, but you're not going to like it." Adrien's eyes narrowed further growing impatient.

"I'm listening."

"You know how Ladybug has the power of creation and ours is the opposite." The blonde nodded, it wasn't anything that he didn't know. "Well as your powers grow stronger so does the connection between you two. If you were feeling that kind of pain, that means"- All the color drained from the model's face, he didn't need Plagg to finish that statement. He was going to be sick.

"I need to find her."

"No, you're not strong enough yet." Out of all the time that his kwami chose to be stubborn he had to choose now?

Despite Plagg's warning, Adrien found his inner strength and stood up. If his kwami was right and his lady was in danger, then he had no choice than to scout the city till he found her; waiting till patrol was not an option.

"I'm sorry, but Plagg Claws"-

"Adrien!" A knock on his door stopped him cold, any other time would be more agreeable than right now. The door opened, and Natalie wandered in holding her clipboard tightly. "Your Father wanted to make sure that you're ready for your photo shoot. We leave in ten minutes." Adrien zeroed in on his calendar only to see it highlighted in green which did mean a photo shoot, it had completely skipped his mind with everything else occurring. If he made up an excuse why he couldn't go, his Father would throw a fit. He was already skating on thin ice with him recently, he didn't want to break the camel's back.

"I'll be down in a minute." The answer appeased her, and she left him to gather his things. He glanced once more at the open window weighing the pros and cons to escaping as Chat Noir and dealing with the consequences later.

 _'Please be okay Ladybug. I'll find you as soon as I can._ ' His hand ran down the bars that mapped out the windows of his prison. He intended to keep good on his promise, he would search for her as soon as possible, he just hoped that it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

 **A.n.- Told you. Well I'm off to Disney, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Remember to Fav, follow, and review. Will be giving one major spoiler to one reviewer ( If they want it). Till next time!**

 **-RGT-**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.- It's good to know that you guys don't really read author's notes, I know you all like spoilers, but I will keep the same promise as I did last chapter. I worked hard to get this out today, but I'm proud of it. Thanks for everyone who is supporting me, you are awesome.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"Marinette, can we talk about this?" Tikki followed her closely as the raven-haired girl was desperately trying to gather her things to not be late for school.

"I'm fine," She tried to convince her kwami. Mari admired her dedication to her safety, but anything could have caused her to black out on the rooftop including her own clumsiness. She was fine, with minimal bruises, scratches or anything of the like, and what she did have she could have acquired from other battles as Ladybug.

"I don't know, I have a bad feeling about this. I think we should go to Master Fu." That was a little overkill for something that could have been her fault in the first place. If Tikki had been acting strange or there was any behavior out of the ordinary she would see him within a heartbeat. But what could the guardian do for her? He wasn't a doctor, and even if he was, she did not have any other symptoms besides one afternoon of memory loss.

"I'll see him if anything else weird happens." She hated that she wasn't completely honest with Tikki. While she was blacked out, a dream played out in front of her, she couldn't interact with anyone and no one could hear her. It was like a movie playing out in her mind.

" _What more do you want? Please, take them!" The cry was unmistakably her voice, although she didn't know who she was talking to. She held out the earrings with shaky hands. Cuts and bruises were scattered all over her body for reasons she couldn't determine. What could have happened that would make her give up her gift? Another hand reached out and hooked their finger under her chin to redirect her gaze up into the fiercest violet eyes. Le Paon's grin just grew grabbing the earrings out of Marinette's hands. The instant they left her, uncontrollable tears streamed down her face. The air was filled with Hawk Moth's victorious laughter._

It was a scary thought that left her with so many questions, what happened that was so bad that she willingly gave- no, begged for them to take her miraculous. She had grown to love being Ladybug, to hear her own voice question that was terrifying. Where was Chat Noir in all this, wouldn't he have protected her or been able to talk her out of this drastic decision?

She hadn't shared it, because it was just a dream, it didn't mean anything. She still had her earrings and currently no desire to remove them. Nightmares happened all the time, there was no evidence that these events would unfold.

"Do you promise?" Tikki's voice made her jump realizing that she had stopped midway putting her school books together to space out.

"Yeah," the lie stuck to the edges of her throat. "I promise." She started to wonder when it got so easy to lie to the ones she cared about.

* * *

"I can't do this," she crossed her hands frantically in front of her. Ayla was her best friend, but sometimes the girl got over zealous about her love life with Adrien. Sure, she went one afternoon with him without making a complete fool of herself that didn't mean that she was ready to confess to him how she felt or take the initiative on asking him out. She wasn't ready for this.

"Marinette, the boy would be blind to not see what an amazing girl you are. You said that he flirted with you the other day"-

"What if I was just imagining it?" Adrien was a model, he probably behaved like that with everyone, it was his job.

Alya guided her until the blonde was in sight, "You'll never know until you try." Marinette let out a yelp when she was pushed towards her crush. She turned to run the other way, but he was there, and on the other side was her best friend. He might draw the wrong conclusions if he witnessed her trying to hide from him, but she didn't know what she could even say. Another small push caused her to glare at Alya, but she knew she wouldn't get out of this without giving into her demands.

The closer she got to Adrien, she noticed there was something off. He didn't look like he had gotten sleep, his hair wasn't coifed in the normal fashion, and a perpetual frown stained his features. She didn't need any more "help", now she was drawn to him all on her own. Maybe something happened at home with his Father, she knew that he was overbearing on him.

"Adrien," her mousy voice barely made a dent, he seemed unfazed. She glanced back at Alya who gave her a thumbs-up building her confidence, she doubted that she could even get a full sentence out, but that was usual for her. "I was wondering- what I mean is" She stumbled over the first couple words, why did she always get tongue tied around him, it wasn't fair. She took a breath and reminded herself that he was just another person while she channeled the girl who had talked circles around the model the other day. "There's this new coffee shop that opened up and I was wondering if you check me out-I mean check it out, this afternoon." The ask when as smoothly as it would get, but his lack of response was frightening. Had she overstepped the imaginary line between them? He wasn't cruel like Chloe, if he didn't want to go surely, he would just turn her down politely. Then there would be a sliver of hope that they could bounce back to their usual friendship.

"If it's not a good day, I understand. I just thought we never really get to know one another, besides playing video games. And who doesn't love coffee, unless you're a tea person, which they carry too although I don't know if they're known for that." It was pure word vomit, but without any reaction from the boy she just kept going hoping it could circle around to something that connected and made sense.

"Adrien?" She reached out her hand tenderly and placed in on his shoulder causing him to jump.

If his Father had allowed it, Adrien would have skipped school. He didn't want to receive the disappointed look from his teachers for falling asleep in class, not to mention the pounding that seemed to make residence in his mind. Something was wrong, and after all the things that occurred yesterday he was worried, what could have happened to her that she was experiencing that kind of pain. At the photo shoot he was distracted at best, the photographer sent him home early because none of the pictures was "doing it" for him. The instant he was released he found some where he could transform to Chat Noir and started searching for his lady. He shouldn't had left her, stood his ground, especially with how spaced out she was, anything could have happened. They both had only minutes before they would have changed back, if he would have stayed she might have been angry, but at least she would be safe.

After looking for her for hours, he was perched attentively at the rendezvous point for the night patrol, he was exhausted but it would have been worth it for the confirmation that she was unscathed. Minutes turned into hours; he was never granted that privilege.

His face drained as a new idea entered his head, what if she was captured by Hawk Moth? If he had touched one hair on Ladybug's head, the heavens help him, he would kill him without hesitation. The villain had already caused more widespread terror across Paris than his liking, no one would morn the wicked when he was gone.

He was in this alone, he was hoping that Le Paon would have shown the previous night to help him, but she too left him waiting there all night. The time gave him room to think about where he had seen the peacock broach before. He closed his eyes to conjure it up, but the picture that kept coming to him was the painting of his Mother located in his Dad's work room. There was not much in there besides a ticket to Tibet, the book, a picture of his mom, and... a peacock broach. Was Le Paon connected to his Father? Something didn't add up, but every scenario that he dreamt up was impossible; he was missing something somewhere and it drove him mad.

 _'If she was here, what would she say? Think Adrien.'_ Ladybug would have known exactly what to do, step back study the facts and not let pesky emotions get in the way, but he couldn't help it; he loved her.

"Adrien?" Marinette's voice caught him off guard, how long had she been standing there? If she had been talking, he hadn't heard a word she had said, but judging by her expectant face she was requesting an answer.

 _'Probably asking about the rain check for the video games,'_ he reasoned.

"Sure Marinette, I'd love to!" The way that her face lit up caused something to stir inside him. The akuma had ruined a perfectly fun afternoon with the raven-haired girl, and he did owe her a rematch.

"Ok see you then!" She hurried off, but he swore that her face had adapted to a new shade of red. This was the behavior he was worried about, it seemed that they couldn't have a conversation without stuttering or an absurd amount of blushing from either party. It was weird that she didn't mention a time for them to meet up, but he simply shrugged; he would just text her later for the details.

* * *

Marinette didn't waste any time after school, she might have used her alter ego to jump from rooftop to rooftop, but this was an emergency. Adrien said yes to a date! She had no idea what she was even going to wear for such a momentous occasion. The second she landed on her balcony she snapped into action pulling out all her clothes and dumping them on her bed. Everything had to be perfect, so what outfit suggested that there would be more than one date in their future? Her fingers brushed over a royal blue skater skirt that popped out against the other colors and paired it with a long sleeve white blouse and black tights. It wasn't what she typically wore, but she wanted to leave Adrien speechless for once instead of herself, that would give a slight upper hand. Her hair tumbled down from her ponytails as she began to work its way into a bun.

The butterflies started fluttering in her stomach causing her to want to pinch herself, a date with Adrien. Her half-lidded eyes and dreamy expression allowed her thoughts to run away with themselves. Her phone beeped causing her to jump out of her skin. It was him, asking what time they were meeting. Her fingers never typed a faster response.

Once she arrived she found a table first thing and just sat down, she had made good time on the subways, now she just had to wait. The minutes passed by with no sight of the model, fear started to sink in. Did he forget? Her phone buzzed once more with a new message from Adrien explaining that he would be a little late, he had some work to do for his Father.

So, she waited.

"Ma'am, are you ready to order?" Marinette was sure that the waitress was doing her job, but it just added salt on the wounds. He wasn't coming. Maybe something came up, or he overbooked his schedule; he seemed out of it this morning, but if that was the case why didn't he just text her.

"Not yet," she weakly replied to the hovering lady who shot her a look but said nothing; it wasn't the first time that server had witnessed someone who got stood up. She tried not to let her hopes get too high for the date, but it was hard to when Adrien said that he would love to go. Now she was just left with feelings of disappointment and rejection.

After five minutes more, she took a deep breath, she had to face the facts the longer she sat here the more pathetic she felt. It didn't take her long to gather her things and stand to her feet. They seemed to drag on the way to the door with the hopes that she was wrong, that the model would rush through the door apologizing for taking so long.

She pulled her phone from her purse receiving a sorry look from Tikki. She began to type out a response explaining that she wasn't waiting anymore, but her thumb hovered over the send button. Why was she hesitating, this was Adrien after all?

A sound stopped her where she stood, it was Chloe using her shrill fake laugh. Marinette couldn't handle a rejection from Adrien and teasing from the Mayor's daughter in one night. She could still hide and let the girl pass before heading home.

"Adrienkins this has the best coffee, next to the one they serve in my Daddy's hotel of course." Her feet refused to budge from their place, he wouldn't do something that cruel to her, she was his friend after all. The sight of the pair rounding the corner with Chloe snuggled on his arm cracked her heart. How could he? Tears started to weld up, but she refused to let them fall and give either of them that satisfaction, she had to be strong. But the second Adrien's wide eyes jumped to hers any defenses fell.

"Mari?" She didn't know what to cringe at more, the nickname, or his tone while saying it. Obviously, he wasn't expecting her to still be there. Her thoughts spiraled down to create conversations between the two blondes making jokes at her expense.

"I have to go." She mumbled as she took off in the opposite direction despite Adrien calling out her name. She was trying to find the nearest place where she could just escape. The second her back hit the alleyway wall her legs threatened to give out under her. Tikki floated out of her purse.

"Don't say anything," she begged her kwami allowing the tears to freely flow. This stung. It was bad enough that he had ditched her, but then to be going around with Chloe instead?

She couldn't stay here, there was a slim chance that the blonde would run after her, and she wasn't ready to face him in her current state.

"Tikki, spots on."

The violet eyes narrowed watching the silhouette of the famous superhero escaping per the rooftops of the unsuspecting civilians of Paris. When she saw a vision of the school, she wasn't sure what she would find, but watching the raven-haired girl, she wasn't disappointed. It was an interesting development, it seemed like the blonde boy had already started her dirty work without her having to lift a finger. Nothing was worse than a broken heart to start her transformation. She was clearly love struck for the model, and he had no clue. The school was a perfect breeding ground for the akumas, only confirming that if she was in charge, she could have overtaken the city a long time ago.

Ladybug really should have been more careful when transforming, but now she had all the information that she needed. She emerged from her hiding spot only to tail her. She kept her distance, so Ladybug wouldn't be able to sense her presence. When the hero reached home she looked around twice before transforming back to her civilian form and disappearing into her home.

Le Paon's last leap landed her gracefully on the balcony making sure she didn't alert anyone to her presence inside. Her plan would become much more complicated if Ladybug came barging out ready for a fight, but due to the girl's state of mind, Le Paon doubted that she would notice if the Eiffel tower crashed to the ground. She flicked out a feather, the royal blue color faded leaving only a black feather behind. Any guilt for what she was about to do dwindled, Ladybug was just a teenager, but if she didn't take care of her now, she would grow to a serious threat when older. She placed the feather on the door leading to her room. The darkness started to ooze outward till it reached the cracks, then started to seep through; the despair inside drew it in almost as if it was its life source. It might be cheating to show her glimpses of an alternate future, but it would speed along the process. The first stage always took the longest, but once Marinette's heart was completely broken, her plan would fall into place.

* * *

 **A.n.- so I'll continue to write this for anyone who does happen to read it. You'll find out more of Le Paon's powers next chapter, I think they're really cool. As for Adrien, you'll find out his side later, it's not exactly what you think. Fav, follow, review. Support the writers on here, you might not realize the kind of effort that they put into it. Till next time.**

 **-RGT-**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.n.- Well here's the next chapter. I wanted to thank you all for all the support. We're about a fourth of the way through ( if everything goes according to plan). Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Marinette didn't even bother to inform her parents of her arrival. They would come up and check on her eventually, she would just lie if they asked how she snuck past them. Tikki pushes her head out of the purse cautiously, her Chosen's emotions were high, the Kwami just didn't want Marinette to do something that she would regret.  
"Mari?"  
"I want to be alone Tikki," she was supposed to respect her wishes, but the red bug knew that it would only deteriorate the situation. The last thing she should believe was that she was alone.  
"But"- maybe she could reason with the tear stained girl. She could already feel the hurt radiating off her, it was the curse when their bond had grown stronger; she felt what her Chosen did.  
"Please Tikki," the kwami sighed as she flew into the bathroom, she would give her a couple hours and try again. Marinette seemed to be as stubborn as Plagg when she wanted to be. Her senses were on high alert, if only she had noticed the dark matter sweeping through the window before it engulf her completely.

Above the sound of her crying the hum of a cell phone buzzing caught the girl's attention. Who could possibly be calling her now? It could be Chloe to rub in her date with Adrien, or even worst the aforementioned. But she didn't have any interest in anything that he had to say, he couldn't really explain away what she saw.

Marinette wiped her tear-clouded eyes and reached for the device that somehow worked its way underneath her pillow. Alya's face popped up on the screen, but instead of answering, she froze. Her best friend was probably calling expecting Marinette to fill her in on every detail of the date. But the more she thought about it, the more she concluded that this whole thing was Alya's fault in the first place. She pushed her into asking no matter how many times she tried to explain that she wasn't sure of Adrien's affections, her best friend had given her something worse, hope. Things were perfect the way they were, now everything had changed, and she could do nothing but watch from the sidelines. Every time she closed her eyes her mind would picture Chloe and Adrien together, how could she even face him?

It didn't take a second thought for Mari to decline Alya's call. She didn't even feel guilty turning it off to prevent future calls, she didn't want to recount the events of tonight with anyone, let alone her friend. The tears spilled over once more with every intention to let her body run dry. She had let her world revolve around the model for years, now she was lost. What's worse is she thought she knew Adrien, his likes and dislikes enough to know that he would never be interested in a shallow self-absorbed girl, but now proven wrong; she was the fool.

School would be abuzz tomorrow with the new power couple, just the thought made her want to vomit. Maybe if she just put as much distance as she could between them, she would fade into the background, almost like it was her natural preset. If it was worse than she thought she would fake being sick and not return after lunch, her parents wouldn't second guess her.

Her eye lids grew heavy and she didn't even try and stop them, sleep would be better than her reality. She was exhausted and broken, a state that she hoped would be gone tomorrow but deep down she knew it wouldn't be the case.

"Marinette," a whispered groaned from the walls themselves, the raven-haired girl brought her head to scout the room sleepily, but no one was there.

"Hello?" She must be going crazy or more exhausted than she thought. Clearly only the shadows kept her company, she had no reason to be afraid. Even still, when her head hit the pillow once more she tried to ignore the goosebumps forming on her arms.

"Heartbreak is hard, but I can help you forget." It sounded so tempting, sometimes memories were the worst form of torture. The longer she let them linger, the more pain it would inflict.

"Who are you?"

"A friend. I came to help," A couple months ago Mari would have written herself off as crazy but ever since the Miraculouses collided with her life she couldn't rule anything out.

"Will it hurt?" It wasn't till then she realized that the darkness had overcome the room, even the moonlight was blocked from the window. Before it could answer it surrounded her mentally transporting her to another place.

In front of her eyes were pictures of Adrien from various photo shoots throughout the years. The pictures started to whiz by her faster as the model grew older only to have everything fade to black once more.

"Honey, I'm home." Mari allowed her mouth to drop slightly agape, time had only aged him closer to perfection.

She watched as he ventured further into the suite, and it became clear that she could see him, but not visa versa. Two girls with sun kissed hair ran straight through her to greet their father with abundant hugs. He released some of the purest forms of laughter making her knees week, why was she being shown this, it only caused her further in her turmoil, but she couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away.

A lady that she didn't recognize entered the room with a stiff nod, "Good Evening Mr. Agreste, Mrs. Chloe is waiting for you in the living room."

Marinette's whole world stopped. Adrien married...Chloe? She couldn't even bring herself to hear the scene playing out as her mind spun into multiple scenarios where this could be a reality, each one making her sick to her stomach.

"Stop it," the words barely brushed past her lips. Tears started to gather once more as she watched the model take the young girls into the other room to see Chloe lounging about on the sofa reading a magazine only to be surprised by a passionate kiss from her husband.

"Stop it," her voice gained some traction. The sound of the girls giggling in reaction to the affection was going to be burned into her mind. Any attempt that she made to escape only brought her back around to the same room, there was no way out. Her legs gave way forcing her to the ground tears fully flowing.

"Stop it."

The raven-haired girl jolted awake the sweat beads dripping down her body. It was just a bad dream, nothing more. All of this was happening because of the date earlier and her mind's mission to torture her further. She clicked on her phone sleepily to check the time, she couldn't have drifted off that long. Much to her dismay, her cell disagreed, an hour and a half had passed, and she had 6 missed calls 4 from Alya and the remaining...from Adrien. Her body erupted in swirling emotions that ranged from elated to wanting to vomit. It only made her wish for simpler times.

Her eyes bugged when the phone buzzed once more with the model's face plastered on the screen, once the panic set in she decided to toss the phone midway on her bed and stare at it.

She shouldn't answer it.

'Probably calling with some excuse.' Marinette knew that if she answered, she would come crawling back again. But something was different this time, any excitement that she had was drowned out in a minute by a sense of apathy. She had waited long enough at the coffee shop for him, Adrien could certainly wait a little longer. She clicked off the phone, allowing her body to be put in a place to drift back to sleep.

* * *

Adrien sighed as his vision didn't waver from the phone in his hands. How did everything get so tangled? He had just managed to make more of a mess with their friendship. He didn't blame her for ignoring his call, the pain that was plastered on her face was burned into his memories. He already doubled back to the bakery, but her parents insisted that she wasn't there. He did the only thing that he could think of, call Nino.

His best friend had been with him over every situation from problems with his Father to sharing everything but his identity as Chat Noir. Not that he didn't want to, several times he had been tempted beyond reason, but he wasn't sure of the proper way to tell anyone that he ran around in a tight leather cat suit.

"Sorry we don't have much to eat, but I was able to find some chocolate chip cookies." As much as the model loved his sweets, everything seemed less appetizing right now.

"Are you going to talk about it, or did you come over so you could stare at your phone?" Nino had seen Adrien in slumps before but the guy sitting on his couch didn't even reach for the cookies, something was definitely wrong.

"She's avoiding me."

"Well if it's Chloe, there are some upsides to that." His joke was met unappreciated with a solid glare. He feared that any more attempts to lighten his friend's sour mood would fail.

"I screwed up, you should have seen the look on her face."

"This is Marinette, just talk to her." He hated to be the guy that pointed out the obvious, but he doubted that something like this could destroy a friendship that had been building for years. Upon watching Adrien closely, he knew this conversation would take some work to regain his confidence in their friendship with the girl. "Walk me through what happened again."

"Marinette started talking to me before school, she asked something, and I thought it was for a rain check on video games, so I agreed. She got all- I don't know Marinette like"-

"What do you mean?"

"You know, where she blushes, stammers, and runs away." That was a summary of most of their interactions together, needless to say; he contained mixed feelings on the matter. "I later asked her what time and she texted back, everything was perfectly normal. After school I went home, but before I left my Father stopped me. Wanted my opinion on some upcoming shoots, me. Anyway, I texted her that I was going to be late, when I finally finished with him I was headed straight over on the subway. When I got off I pulled out my phone to tell her that I was almost there, and then out of nowhere Chloe grabs my arm and demands that we get a coffee together. You know what she's like if she wants something..."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Nino huffed. As they grew older he had his fair share of difference of opinion, he blamed his strong-willed girlfriend.

"Anyway, I was going to follow along with her plan until I got my coffee and then make an excuse to leave. When we rounded the corner, she was there, standing...beautifully." He muttered the last word under his breath, but it didn't go unnoticed, just unspoken. "At first, she stood there, but then her face started to break, I hurt her. She excused herself and took off running, I tried to catch her, but she just disappeared." He was slightly impressed by her ability, he was in peak performance due to his alter ego duties, but now didn't seem like the time to discuss such things.

Nino released a sigh of his own, sometimes his best friend would create his own problems by not being able to say no or being oblivious and as usual, it was his job to spell it out.

"Is there a probability that she didn't ask you about a rain check for the video games?"

The model tilted his head slightly to the side, there was always the chance. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it, why would she have been at the coffee shop instead of her house dressed up. Have you thought of the possibility that she asked you out, like on a date?" At the words any color drained from the Blonde's skin.

"Why would she do that?" It hadn't been a secret; the whole school knew how the raven-haired girl felt; except apparently Adrien. He would just put the boy out of his misery, but he feared what wrath Alya would unleash on him if he even breathed Marinette's secret. The blonde would just have to figure it out for himself.

"You'll have to ask her that yourself." He only hoped that his best friend would take him up on his suggestion, those two had to talk if anything were to come from it. " But if you want my advice, just talk to her, she's your friend. I'm sure she'll understand if you just tell her your side of the story."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Adrien reached for the chocolate chip cookie and took a small bite. Although a small part of him was still worried, there wasn't much that he could do right now.

"Want to get some practice before Marinette destroys you in your rematch?" Nino offered with a smile which was returned as they reached for the controllers without another word.

* * *

 **A.n.- At least you know Adrien's side now, sorry if it was halfway a filler but it did have some important stuff in here. Let me know what you think! Till next time.**

 **-RGT-**


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